Rating rods by rolling dice.

[imxer]

Mojo,

Am with you on the shorter casts. If I have a good drift going will just "feed" line until time to pick up. Covers more water and am fishing a lot of water i used to cast over to get more distance. Fly is in-on the water longer, someone told me that helps catch fish.

imxer

[Jackster]

I have a very good friend and great fly fisher who says he catches all of his fish at a distance no greater than 30'. I told him to imagine how many more fish he could catch if he was able to cast 40'!

The long, accurate cast some can do is a nice reserve to have. If the wind pipes up there is no need to go home. The good caster has the technique to power through the wind. I have seen and have myself caught far too many fish at distance to say it cannot be done.
One very good example of the benefit of being able to cast effectively at a range of distances is on a small pond a few of us were fishing where if you could plant a caddis right in the ring of the rise the brookies were making you were guaranteed a fish. Once my other two buddies hit their max casts of 30-40' the game was over for them.
There is no downside to casting well.

[FrankB2]

I want to cast close, far, into the wind, and accurately at all distances. I think you can have all of the above in one rod. See my thread "Roll Casting
Sage Z-Axis". I made several roll casts with no more than 10 feet of line, and
they all hit the spot I aimed for. That same rod cuts through wind like butter.

I decided a few years ago to practice casting in the worst wind conditions, and it has paid off in spades. Most of this casting was done in my backyard,
when everything was frozen. The greater the wind, the more excited I was to
get out there. Wind no longer frustrates me on the water. I fish a local lake
on days when it's so windy, the waves break against my crotch, and splash
onto my face. Do I need a fast rod for this? Maybe, maybe not. Should we
master the rod we fish? Absolutely. Should we try different lines? Yup. I've found that the 1/2wt heavier
lines work well for me, with the rods I use, in most situations. I will switch to a true weight line on occassion
when presenting dry flies to what I consider spooky fish, but that might be more of change for the sake of
change, and just to remind myself that a true weight line will work<G>.

P.S. Distance for me is a measured 45-60 feet tops on the water. Beyond that, I move closer to the
target/fish.

[imxer]

Diver Dan,
For what it's worth.

Have looked over the CCS chart for Loomis rods and my experience with the various models, IMX-GL3-GL4-GLX, has agreed with their findings.
The IMX rods I have used [ 4 & 6 wts ] have all liked one size heavier line than the factory indicates, while the other models have cast nicely with the factory suggested weights. Thanks for the data.

Still trying to find the difference between "old & original" IMX rods.

imxer

[mojo]

Originally Posted by Jackster

I have a very good friend and great fly fisher who says he catches all of his fish at a distance no greater than 30'. I told him to imagine how many more fish he could catch if he was able to cast 40'!

The long, accurate cast some can do is a nice reserve to have. If the wind pipes up there is no need to go home. The good caster has the technique to power through the wind. I have seen and have myself caught far too many fish at distance to say it cannot be done.
One very good example of the benefit of being able to cast effectively at a range of distances is on a small pond a few of us were fishing where if you could plant a caddis right in the ring of the rise the brookies were making you were guaranteed a fish. Once my other two buddies hit their max casts of 30-40' the game was over for them.
There is no downside to casting well.

I agree with you. If you are able to cast a whole line, and do it consistently, you've learned something other than being able to cast the compete line. If you can do it and the fly lands where you aim, consistently-it's even better. Fishing accurately 20'- 30' is easy. 40' accurately gets a little tougher. Longer distances even harder. You will come upon a fish that might be out of your comfort range, but with practice, you can reach it. Pairing up lines with rods will help achieve that goal too. (I thought I better get back to the subject). If you have a dog rod with a certain line, keep trying different brands, types and weights. There might be one that awakens that rod. Don't be afraid to experiment.

[Diver Dan]

Originally Posted by imxer

Diver Dan

Under Loomis in the CC chart, what is the difference between "old" and "original" IMX? Thanks

Sorry about the delay, but I have been out of town for a few days and missed this part before I left. I am not real sure what the difference is, but I assume it is the IMX when Gary Loomis owned it and the newer IMX when Shimano bought it. They changed a bunch of stuff. Some of it did not help me sell Loomis rods either. Mainly the color of the rod blanks. Like the metal flake silver color some of the blanks were. After Shimano took over, I have not made many Loomis rods. If you still want to know I'm sure I can find out for sure though.

[imxer]

Hi Dan,

Appreciate your interest in the IMX question. I have been making a few inquiries out here on the West coast, so far haven't come up with much.
If someone answers you on this would like to know but please don't out of your way to find out.

The guys who made the CC study should know what they meant and maybe there is a member of the Forum who has, or had, a Loomis connection and has an answer.

Re: the CC study. They do not include the Loomis Trilogy; mine was a 5wt that worked well with a WF 5 line.

Thanks again.
imxer

[flyguy66]

Imxer,

Gary now works for TFO. And they are extremely customer service oriented. I'll bet that if you called or emailed TFO via their website with your question directed to Gary, you will eventually get your answer straight from the source.

[imxer]

flyguy66,

Thanks for your suggestion, will give it a try & post any results.


imxer

[flyguy66]

The actual industry is much more collegial than most of the writers, reps, prostaffers, and customers assume they are.